IDM Mailing Archive

I like a lot of jungle, I love some of it, but when I listen to something like squarepusher (which I think is fairly brilliant), I can't help but think, wow, where does this come from? Who "gets" this after the first, or even the fifth listen? While the chopped-up, speeded-up formats of shows like Sesame Street have been shown to be linked to the short attention span of the "MTV generation," I can't help but wonder if some of this frenetic, insanely paced music, which is often constructed of tiny bits of other rhythms, is music for a soundbyte oriented culture. Have we been so trained by the media to accept information only in speedy, cut-up fragments, that the way in which we construct and listen to music is now becoming affected? I am 31 years old and watch no television--could this be why I often find it difficult to keep up with the pace of the likes of Squarepusher? Just a thought, Craig Egg88@aol.com

On Sat, 27 Jul 1996 Egg88@aol.com wrote:

quoted 5 lines I like a lot of jungle, I love some of it, but when I listen to something

> I like a lot of jungle, I love some of it, but when I listen to something > like squarepusher (which I think is fairly brilliant), I can't help but > think, wow, where does this come from? Who "gets" this after the first, or > even the fifth listen? >

i think i do....

quoted 10 lines While the chopped-up, speeded-up formats of shows like Sesame Street have

> While the chopped-up, speeded-up formats of shows like Sesame Street have > been shown to be linked to the short attention span of the "MTV generation," > I can't help but wonder if some of this frenetic, insanely paced music, which > is often constructed of tiny bits of other rhythms, is music for a soundbyte > oriented culture. Have we been so trained by the media to accept information > only in speedy, cut-up fragments, that the way in which we construct and > listen to music is now becoming affected? I am 31 years old and watch no > television--could this be why I often find it difficult to keep up with the > pace of the likes of Squarepusher? >

i don't watch much tv either (no cable), and i hadn't heard much jungle before "feed me...," but i did get into jazz before idm, and the sqaurepusher's beats don't seem *that* modern to me. In fact, listening recently to miles davis' "live at the plugged nickel," which dates from 1963, it struck me that squarepusher sounds a lot like a jazz drummer with the volume turned way up. The rhythms are the same, if anything, squarepusher's are simpler, but the timbres are different, i.e. sampled, processed, sticks instead of delicate, live brushes... hope this helps... ...Arjun